Thursday, November 20, 2014

Is it time
for church leaders to ‘make our light shine’? We’ve been living under the clay
pot of “Don’t ask, don’t tell”. Maybe now is the time to place our lamps on a
lampstand where it can give light to everyone in our church. God might be
calling us to tell our stories of celebrating same gender weddings and other
stories of ministry with and hospitality toward all people.

Tom Robinson, a Detroit pastor,
shared a powerful story at our Signing Celebration on November 12th.
The story was about Moseli, an African American with a tremendous voice who
worked as a nanny for a prestigious white family. She would take the children
to church every Sunday at the white church.

One Sunday she asked the pastor if
she could sing at their Christmas Party.
The pastor would have said “no” except for the fact that the man Moseli
worked for was an important leader in the church.

Just before
Moseli got up to sing, the ushers carried a screen to the front of the
sanctuary. They escorted Moseli behind the screen from where she sang, “Sweet
Little Jesus Boy”. At the end of the story, Tom’s father said to Tom, “Today
we’re behind the screen. But tomorrow we’ll be in front of the screen.”

This analogy
applies to so many of our LGBTQ brothers and sisters who are kept behind the
screen by their church. It also applies to so many in our churches who are
expressing God’s inclusive love for all, but are doing their good works behind
the screen.

Jesus said,
“You are like light for the whole world. A city built on top of a hill cannot
be hidden, and no one would light a lamp and put it under a clay pot. A lamp is
placed on a lampstand, where it can give light to everyone in the house. Make
your light shine, so that others will see the good that you do and will praise
your Father in heaven.”

Is it time
for church leaders to ‘make our light shine’? Our church has placed us behind
the screen and under a clay pot with the threat of a church trial and removing
our ministerial credentials. But maybe now is the time to “make our light
shine.”

I felt God calling me to do that
after my daughter told me she was getting married. I’ve kept my light under the
clay pot and behind the screen for years. I didn’t want to upset people in the
churches I served. But this Lent when I reflected on Jesus’ decision to go to
Jerusalem, I heard the call to make my light shine. That decision was confirmed
when I heard our Bishop at Annual Conference preach about the courage of the
midwives in the face of the Pharaoh. I knew I was not only supposed to
officiate at Sarah’s wedding, but also tell my District Superintendent and
others what I did. I was supposed to place my lamp on a lampstand.

Maybe now is
the time for you to “make your light shine.” One way you might do that is to
write your story of ministry to all people, especially our LGBTQ brothers and
sisters. Then share that story with others. One way to share the story is
through this blog. I’m willing to post your story on this blog site. Send them
to me via my e-mail at michaeljamestupper at yahoo.com.

When Is Accountability of No Account?

A trend is developing in the way that some United Methodist bishops are handling complaints against pastors who perform same-sex weddings or unions. Instead of bringing accountability, the complaint process is being turned on its head and used to promote the very behavior that is the subject of the complaint!

This trend began with the Amy DeLong trial in 2011. As the penalty for performing a same-sex union, Rev. DeLong was “sentenced” to write a paper during a 20-day suspension on the meaning of covenant and to help lead discussions among Wisconsin Conference clergy on how to live together in covenant, given our disagreement over same-sex marriage.

This strategy was refined in the Pacific Northwest Annual Conference, where two pastors charged with performing same-sex weddings were given a one-day suspension, and the bishop committed to holding clergy conversations on how clergy can live and work together in covenant, given our disagreement.

A high-profile example took place in the New York Annual Conference, where a retired seminary dean was charged with performing a same-sex wedding. The complaint was dropped with no penalty, and the dean was asked to help lead a clergy conference on living together in covenant with our disagreement.

Bishop Melvin Talbert performed a high-profile same-sex union service in Alabama, against the wishes of the resident bishop of the area, as well as against the wishes of the Council of Bishops Executive Committee. At the Council of Bishops meeting, it was reported that the Talbert complaint process “had been followed.” As of yet, there has been no public statement about the Talbert complaint process. Nevertheless, Bishop Talbert was asked to speak as part of a panel of bishops addressing the issue of how the church should resolve our disagreement over same-sex marriage.

Finally, just this week, two clergy persons in Michigan had their complaints resolved over charges that they performed same-sex weddings. There is no acknowledgement that what they did was wrong, nor is there any promise not to repeat the violation of our covenant. Instead, the offending pastors are invited to be part of a design team to plan a state-wide series of events “at which LGBTQ and other interested United Methodists can have a safe place to tell their stories.” The goal of the events is to “reduce our church’s harmful rhetoric and actions toward LGBTQ persons.”

I could give additional examples of such complaint “resolutions.”

In other words, those who have violated our covenant are invited to help instruct us on how to change our covenant (or at least the way we act under our covenant) to permit the very actions that they were charged with. Rather than consequences for disobedience, we have here the promotion of more disobedience. Only the hope here is that it won’t be disobedience anymore because the church will change its rules.

I don’t think every pastor who performs a same-sex wedding ought to lose his/her credentials. On the other hand, I do believe that there should be some consequence for intentionally and knowingly violating our clergy covenant. To have no consequence means that such violations are permitted and even encouraged. Part of the power of civil disobedience is the willingness to live with the consequences of breaking what one perceives to be an unjust law. But here, practitioners of “ecclesiastical disobedience” have figured out a way to disobey what they perceive to be an unjust church law and not experience any negative consequences at all. In fact, the consequences are to instead undermine the church law and the integrity of the covenant itself.

This situation reminds me of the neighborhood baseball games I played with my friends as a kid. There were times when one of the players violated a rule of the game, but wouldn’t accept the consequences of being ruled “out” in that inning. Because there was no impartial umpire to enforce the rules, the disagreement would sometimes degenerate into an argument. When we all couldn’t agree on the enforcement of the rules, the game would usually break up and the players would head home.

In The United Methodist Church, we now have a number of annual conferences (maybe a dozen?) where it is permitted to break the “rules of the game.” Despite what the Book of Discipline says, pastors are permitted to perform same-sex unions or marriages. Most are performed quietly, under the radar. When a complaint is filed, an agreement is reached that involves no apology or recognition of wrong-doing, simply a plan for guided discussions of covenant. This Orwellian approach hopes that by continuing the endless discussions and allowing violations to occur unpunished, the opposition to same-sex marriage will weaken and disappear.

Why do we need to pass the Hamilton/Slaughter “local option?” We already have local option in at least a dozen annual conferences, no matter what the Discipline says.

One can forgive evangelicals for becoming cynical at this point in believing that progressives are determined to get their way in the church by any means possible. It appears that in many places there are no longer any umpires interested in ensuring that the rules of the game are being followed. Certainly, the disagreement has degenerated into an argument. All that remains to be seen is whether the players break up the game and head for home.

Friday, November 14, 2014

The story I
share about officiating at my daughter’s wedding starts out with a conversation
I have with Sarah about where she and her partner Ali will stand. Sarah tells
me they will not be sitting together during the wedding. I’m incredulous. I ask
her, “Why would you do such a thing. This service is all about the two of you.”

Sarah says
to me, “It’s not about us, Dad. It’s about the community.”

I experienced
community at Sarah’s wedding that special August day in the pavilion at Druid
Hill Park in Baltimore. Over sixty people spoke in the service. Dozens of
people helped with the physical work of setting up chairs for the wedding and
adding tables for the potluck that followed. Most of the local people brought
food for the potluck. The evening was concluded with an ‘open mic’ where people
shared stories and music and some of their talents. The wedding was truly about
‘the community’.

I also experienced community the past
few weeks.

I was thankful for community when I
met the Bishop for the third time on October 30th. The advocate who
has gone with me to meet the Bishop each previous time was not able to make it.
Len Shoenherr’s father was in the hospital so Len couldn’t go with me.
Fortunately, Matt Weiler was willing to step in at the last minute. He was
helpful as I processed many last minute negotiating that needed to happen. In
addition, there were people praying for me before and during that meeting in a
nearby room. I couldn’t have gone through this process without the community of
pray-ers (in person and from a distance) over the past six weeks. Thanks to all
of you!

I also experienced community the
morning of October 30th. We held the first Michigan Area Reconciling
Ministry Network meeting in recent history. Reconciling Ministry Network (RMN)
is the United Methodist organization that advocates for and with LGBTQ persons.
In Michigan, we have some local churches, some Wesley Foundations, some groups,
and some individuals who have been affiliated with RMN. It was good to gather
together as one group from
both Conferences on October 29th.

We came together that morning as a
community with a passion to make a difference in our Conferences, in our
churches and in our communities. We talked about the work of our Marriage
Equality Task Force and the hundred and ten pastors who have signed that they
would be willing to officiate at a same gender wedding. We talked about the
Supervisory Response process for Ed Rowe and myself and the Truth and
Reconciliation Commission that was coming out of those meetings. We had a frank
discussion of “Holy Conferencing”. We concluded by talking about potential
legislation for 2015 Annual Conference. We set our next meeting for January 14th
at 10:30 at University Church, East Lansing.

I experienced community the following
Sunday night at Nardin Park UMC in Farmington Hills where the Dedicated
Reconciling United Methodists (A Detroit area group) had their Annual Potluck.
The speaker was Matt Berryman, the executive director of RMN. He talked about how
we interact with a baby – we’re willing to act a bit crazy. This is the same
type of hospitality and love we’re invited to show to all people. It was good that
evening to be in the midst of this wonderful community of folks who understand
what this means and live it out daily.

Finally, I experienced community this
past Wednesday as about fifty people gathered together at University Church to
celebrate the signing of the “just resolutions”. Ed Rowe, Detroit pastor,
signed at the same time as myself. Ed is passionate about setting up a Truth
and Reconciliation Commission where LGBTQ persons can share their stories. Part
of our event on Wednesday was live streamed by RMN to people around the
country. It was also covered by some church news sources. We gave thanks to our
Bishop for choosing to follow Jesus’ law of love and inclusion in both of our
just resolutions.

Martin Luther King Junior referred to
God’s kingdom as the ‘beloved community’. He said:

“But the end is reconciliation; the
end is redemption; the end is the creation of the beloved community. It is this type of spirit and this type
of love that can transform opposers into friends. It is this type of
understanding goodwill that will transform the deep gloom of the old age into
the exuberant gladness of the new age. It is this love which will bring about
miracles in the hearts of men.”from “Facing the Challenge of a New Age,” 1956

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

This
Just Resolution agreement results from a complaint submitted by Rev. John Boley
against the Rev. Michael Tupper for conducting a same-gender wedding ceremony
on August 17, 2014. After receiving this complaint Bishop Deborah Lieder Kiesey
conducted a supervisory response in this matter under the provisions of the
Book of Discipline 2012 (¶363).

As a
result of the Supervisory Response process conducted by Bishop Kiesey, the
persons signing this document have entered into the following Just Resolution
agreement:

1)Rev. Tupper acknowledges that he knowingly and
intentionally violated two sections of the 2012 Book of Discipline, as an act
of personal faith and conscience, and acknowledges that others may have felt
hurt by his action.

2)Rev. Tupper, who desires to remain a part of the
clergy covenant in the West Michigan Conference, will work with his clergy
colleagues by using the proper channels toward changing the discriminatory
language and provisions in our Book of Discipline, while continuing to advocate
for the LGBTQ community within the United Methodist Church and providing
pastoral care to all people under his appointment.

3)Rev. Tupper will work with the Michigan Area
Episcopal Office and Ed Rowe to form a design team with clergy and lay persons
from across the Michigan Area, including LGBTQ persons. The team is charged
with planning, implementing and resourcing an area-wide series of events using
a “Truth and Reconciliation” model at which LGBTQ and other interested United
Methodists can have a safe place to tell their stories. These events will have
the stated goal of reducing our church’s harmful rhetoric and actions toward
LGBTQ persons. These events will be planned to occur over the next 18 months.

4)Rev. Tupper will develop a written theological
statement which accurately presents the several existing theological positions
within the context of the West Michigan Conference and includes his personal
theological conclusions about the position he has chosen for himself.

5)Rev. Tupper will avail himself of every
opportunity presented to him to tell the story of his spiritual journey as an
act of witness, and will offer his services as a resource to help our churches be
more welcoming and inclusive.

6) Each of
the parties to this Just Resolution Agreement agree that the terms of this
resolution may be shared with the public as needed. Further, they agree that
they will not disclose the content of any other conversations which may have
taken place during the Supervisory Response Process or speak on behalf of any
other party to the agreement.

7)This Just Resolution, having been agreed to by
all parties, shall be a final disposition of the complaint in this matter.